


Claudevain Drabbles

by aphrosCartographer



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Morning After, Secret Admirer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:14:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29409621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aphrosCartographer/pseuds/aphrosCartographer
Summary: A collection of various Claudevain scenes I wrote for the Valentine's day weekend:Day 1 and 2: Claude has a Secret Admirer!Day 3: Verdant Wind Claudevain!Day 4: Morning After!
Relationships: Sylvain Jose Gautier/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 7
Kudos: 38
Collections: Claudevain Valentine Weekend





	1. Chapter 1

###  Days 1 and 2 

Secret Admirer and Confessions 

It’s not like Claude’s never been confessed to before. Every now and then someone would stop him in the hallway. Their faces would be flushed with the anxiety and adrenaline of revealing that which they had kept secret for so long, and they would often thrust some sort of candy or chocolate or note into his hands. This would then be followed by a small anecdote of how they realized they had been in love with the handsome and charming leader of the Golden Deer house. Always, the person would look at him with expectation in their eyes and, always, Claude would smile. He was quite good at letting people down gently, and he would do it time and time again. Sometimes, his polite refusal would be met with tears, sometimes understanding, and once, memorably, with aggression.

Confessions were nothing new to Claude. So, when he walked into class on the week of Valentine’s Day, he hadn’t been all that surprised to see a note on his desk waiting for him. His name was clearly marked on the top and he opened it as he took his seat. A quick questioning glance at Leonie and her answering shrug told him she hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. And she was always early to Jeralt’s classes. Whoever had left this had wanted their identity to stay secret. Claude unfolds the paper and reads the somewhat scratchy writing within.

> _S’up handsome?_
> 
> _Roses are red, violets are blue,_
> 
> _You have a secret admirer,_
> 
> _Don’t you wonder who?_

If Claude was honest, there had been a tiny part of him curious as to who could have left a note on his desk that openly without anyone noticing, but he quickly shrugged it off. Just another person he would eventually have to turn down. He folds the note back up and drops it into his bag. During class, he completely forgets about the note as his thoughts are consumed by Jeralt’s teachings. Claude doesn’t have time for love or romance. He has a country to lead.

As he’s walking back toward his room, Hilda appears at his side. “Sooo, Leonie told me you got a note on your desk today,” she says, looping her arm through his to thwart any potential escape from the conversation. “What did it say?”

“Here, read for yourself,” he rummages around in the bottom of his bag and pulls out the note. “Got myself an amateur poet on my case.”

Hilda eagerly accepts the note, reads it, and rolls her eyes, “Got yourself a bit of a cheese-master is more like it. Who even thinks the whole ‘roses are red, violets are blue’ thing works anymore?”

Claude laughs, stuffing the note back in his bag when she returns it, “Hey, that’s my greatest love you’re talking about, watch it.”

She giggles, then points at his door as it comes into view, “Looks like your greatest love left you another message.”

Sure enough, there’s a small piece of paper tacked to the door of Claude’s room. He huffs and pulls it down. Hilda leans against him and reads over his shoulder as he unfolds the newest note. It’s the same scratchy handwriting as before. 

> _You’re as beautiful as ever, handsome._
> 
> _Sweet dreams! Maybe you’ll even dream of me and my identity tonight, hm?_

“See?” Hilda says, “Total cheesefest.”

~~~ 

The next few days leading up to Valentine’s Day are dotted with more notes from his mysterious admirer. He finds a note waiting for him in the cafeteria the morning after he had first discovered the notes:

> _Looking good, handsome!_
> 
> _You know, the key to a successful day is always a good breakfast._
> 
> _Maybe one day, I’ll get to make breakfast for you ;)_

And then a day later, he finds another stashed with his training gear:

> _Valentine, won’t you be mine?_
> 
> _Ah, that soon your arrow may pierce me like Cupid’s already has._

And yet another one in the kitchen even later in the week when it’s his turn to make dinner.

> _Amazing. That’s what I think of you every time you pass by._
> 
> _I wonder if you have any guesses to who I might be?_
> 
> _Maybe I’m hiding in plain sight_

Claude sits down to dinner next to Lorenz and Raphael, almost paranoid at this point that there may be another note waiting for him. But no, just two of his house-mates chowing down on the food he’d helped make.

“Claude,” Lorenz says, cocking his side to the side to indicate he’s about to say something Claude probably isn’t going to like, “I hear someone has been able to sneak around under your nose and leave you little notes of endearment. How could our dear leader be so careless?”

Claude rolls his eyes in response and stabs one of his tomatoes with his fork a little harder than necessary, “What’s the matter, Lorenz? You jealous or something?”

Lorenz scoffs but Raphael just chuckles, “Eh, don’t let him get to you, buddy. I think it’s kind of cute that someone is working so hard to make you smile! I mean, it’s not like you’re an easy guy to sneak around. Even with the technique that Shamir taught me, I still can’t get the jump on you.”

Interesting. Claude zones out of the conversation while Raphael tries to convince Lorenz of his position on secret admirers to contemplate what Raphael had just said. Had he been smiling more? Was the feeling that he had been calling paranoia something closer to excitement? After all, he could have solved the mystery rather quickly if he had simply broken into Teach’s office and gone through all his classmate’s essays until he’d found the culprit. But he hadn’t done that. Something had held him back from doing so. Maybe he liked the new spin this put on his general distrust of his peers. Instead of being wary of their desire to off him, recently he’s been eyeing them with keen interest as he tries to figure out who is leaving him these notes. This week has made him feel more… human. More like the teenager he is supposed to be.

The sudden realization brings a soft smile to his face. Claude rejoins the conversation, helping Raphael put Lorenz back in his place. For the first time in his time at Garreg Mach, he actually feels like a student.

When Claude returns to his room that night, a note has been slid under his door. He stoops and picks it up, already another smile teasing at his lips. The now familiar handwriting looks up at him from the page.

> _I have a few things to confess to you, handsome:_
> 
> _First of all, the very obvious: I have developed something of a crush on you. Perhaps tomorrow, as the holiday demands, you would meet with me and consider my request that you be my Valentine?_
> 
> _Secondly, I do have a final note that I would like to give you in person. Would you meet me underneath the big tree in the courtyard by the classrooms tomorrow at lunch?_
> 
> _Lastly, my identity is partially hidden somewhere in my notes. If you haven’t already thrown them all away, and find yourself unable to wait until tomorrow to figure out who I am, I think you should be able to piece it together._
> 
> _Until my secret is revealed,_
> 
> _Your most fervent admirer._

As luck would have it, Claude is able to dig out the six notes his admirer had left him over the past week. He lays them all out on his bed, clearing books and other notes aside to stare at the messages. The handwriting simply stares back, not moving or giving him any indication as to the secret they hold. Claude holds them up to the candlelight as he tries to test for ink that is revealed by heat to no avail. He tries rearranging the letters in certain key phrases. Undeterred by failure after failure, he eventually tries one of the simpler solutions. 

Each letter had started off very differently. Maybe there was significance to that. Claude takes the paper he’d been using as a worksheet and writes out every first word from each note. 

_"S’up"_

_"You’re"_

_"Looking"_

_"Valentine"_

_"Amazing"_

_"I"_

Claude’s mouth drops open. The first letter of each word… S.Y.L.V.A.I… That’s a name. A name missing a letter, sure, but there’s only one Sylvain at Garreg Mach. 

Sylvain? The charming playboy of the Blue Lions house has a crush on him? Not that Claude believed the doe-eyed façade he put on, but this seemed very out of character for the redhead. 

Claude chuckles to himself and lays down on his bed, the notes scattered around his body. Interesting. Very interesting. 

Tomorrow was going to be fun. 

~~~ 

Early the next morning, Claude makes his way to Sylvain’s bedroom. They have class together in a half hour, so Sylvain should already be up. Claude’s not nervous when he knocks on Sylvain’s door. He’d spent most of the night before in contemplation about how he wanted to answer Sylvain’s request. Maybe it was foolish of him, maybe it was genuine curiosity about the other man, maybe it was the way his little secret admirer stunt had made Claude see the world slightly differently for a few days, but Claude had decided he was going to say yes. Sure. He will be Sylvain’s valentine. And if that went well, who knows what might come next. 

So he’s feeling good when he knocks on the solid wood of Sylvain’s bedroom. Claude has given himself the upper hand in this conversation by having it early, and by catching Sylvain off-guard this time. 

“Ingrid, I told you, I’m almost ready,” comes a familiar voice from behind the door. “Goddess, you would think you’d be satisfied after dragging me out of bed to hit me with your lance at the ass-crack of dawn, but noooo now it’s all ‘We have to be on time for class and-‘” A half-naked Sylvain opens the door and freezes for a split second when he realizes the person standing in front of his door isn’t Ingrid. 

Claude just smiles back at him, arms crossed over his chest, ignoring how Sylvain seems to have forgotten that shirts are a part of their school dress code. “Hey, handsome.” 

Sylvain’s expression quickly melts into his usual smile and he laughs. “Ah, so you worked it out then. I was hoping you would.” He steps back from the door, holding it open in a clear invitation. “You wanna come in real quick?” 

Being behind closed doors with people he hardly knows isn’t one of Claude’s favorite things to do, but Sylvain had just spent a week leading him on a fun mystery. He’s probably not malicious. So Claude nods, and steps inside. Sylvain’s room stands in stark contrast to his own: everything is meticulously put away and the room itself is spotless. The only thing that looks out of place is his missing shirt which is hanging on the back of his desk chair. Sylvain closes the door with a click, and turns to consider Claude. 

“I have one last letter for you,” he says, the only indication of his nerves apparent in the redness of his ears, “Do you still want to read it now that you know it’s from me?" 

Claude nods again, “Of course I still want to read it.” 

Something in Sylvain’s demeanor shifts when he says that. Claude doesn’t read too far into that now, but it’s clear that he was right. There’s much more to Sylvain than he wants people to think. They’re similar in that respect, at least. 

Claude watches as Sylvain opens the drawer of his bedside table and pulls out an envelope. He hands it to Claude with a smile. “Alright then. Let me know when you’re done.” Sylvain leaves him to it, and continues getting ready for class. This is the first note that had come in an actual envelope, and Claude is surprised to find it has been sealed with wax. The shape of a lion head has been pressed into the wax. He gently pulls it open and slides the letter out. 

> _Needless to say, you’ve now ascertained the true identity of your admirer. No doubt it’s something of a surprise. After all, I’m not the type of guy people think would pull this kind of stunt, and, honestly, you’re the first person I’ve tried something like this on._
> 
> _Guess I’ll find out soon if it worked, huh?_
> 
> _There’s something about you. Something I can’t exactly put my finger on that draws me to you. Outside of your good looks, of course because I mean, come on, you’re insanely handsome. And more than a few times in class I’ve caught myself wondering if your eyes are really as green up close as they look far away or if your hair is as soft or your hands as gentle._
> 
> _What I’ve admired most about you though is how you think. I’ve listened to you speak in class and answer questions with responses that most people would never think of. For you, it seems like it’s never just about winning or losing or honor or chivalry or any of the things I’ve grown up being told were of the most importance. For you, it feels like the lives of the people you look after are the most important. And you’ll come up with any clever way you can to get out of a sticky situation to keep them safe. I’ve never been allowed to think like that, so you really fucked me up the first time I heard you offer a third option in class after Dimitri and Edelgard spoke, but I liked it._
> 
> _All that to say, you intrigue me. You’ve challenged the way that I see the world without even trying, you’re sharp as a tack, dangerous as a cobra, and beautiful as any piece of artwork I’ve ever seen. I’d like to learn more about you and about how you see the world. And maybe kiss you. Hold your hand. Make you breakfast._
> 
> _So, even after reading all of this, would you like to be my Valentine?_
> 
> _xoxoxo,_
> 
> _Sylvain_

When a now-fully-clothed Sylvain passes by again in his attempt to stay busy while Claude reads his note, Claude reaches out and catches him by the arm. Sylvain turns to face him, his face pulled in an expression of concern. “Everything okay? Did I say something wrong?” 

Claude shakes his head, “No, no.” He looks up into Sylvain’s honey-brown eyes, searching for any sign this man could be lying. But all he can see is honesty and confusion. Claude doesn’t trust Sylvain, but he’s now completely convinced that his decision to give him a chance is the right one. “This is incredibly sweet. This whole week, I was convinced that this was going to end the same way all the other times people have confessed to me have ended. But, I never could have guessed this was the ending.” 

Sylvain doesn’t say anything, but his face relaxes and his gentle smile returns. 

“What I’m trying to say is, yes, Sylvain. I will be your Valentine. And maybe you can take me out to dinner in return.” 

Sylvain’s grin splits into a full smile and he nods, “I think that sounds fair. Think you’ll even let me carry your books to class this morning?" 

"Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Claude chides him, folding up the letter and tucking it into his pocket, “Just dinner for now.” 

Sylvian raises his hands in surrender, “Fine, fine. I’ll keep the chivalry to myself for the time being then. Can I at least walk you to cla-?” 

His question is interrupted by a fierce banging on the door. 

“Sylvain!! You’re going to make us late for class if you don’t get moving!” 

Sylvain chuckles sheepishly and rubs the back of his neck. “Guess that’s actually Ingrid this time… You ready to get going?" 

Claude nods and shoulders his bag, “Yeah, come on Valentine, let’s get a move on.” He walks to the door and pauses with his hand over the doorknob. “Sylvain?” 

"Yeah?” 

"Meet me under the tree this afternoon like your letter originally asked. There’s something I’d like to give you as well.” 

Claude doesn’t turn to see Sylvain’s reaction. He just pulls open the door and brushes past Ingrid with a smile and a wink, leaving Sylvain standing in the doorway. As he heads towards class, he can hear Ingrid beginning her interrogation, but decides that it’s well-deserved payback for leading him on a wild goose chase all week. 

Claude doesn’t stop smiling all the way to class. He feels lighter. Excited for what this day might bring. He plops into his seat next to Hilda, waving away her questions about his attitude with a promise to answer them after class. When Sylvain walks in, he catches Claude’s eye and gives him a wink. If Claude’s heart did something funny in his chest in response, well, he’s not telling. 

For once, Claude is going to have a Valentine’s Day worth remembering all thanks to a ridiculous, _cheesefest_ of a redhead. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have a little Verdant Wind Claudevain scene <3

###  Day 3- Free day! 

Sylvain’s body aches. Some fast talking had gotten him out of having to spend the night in the infirmary listening to Manuela, but with the difficulty he’s having simply walking across the monastery, he’s starting to consider that maybe hadn’t been the best decision. Today’s battle had been hard. Their foes had been out for blood, and the monastery forces had been forced to mobilize to almost their full might. Sylvain’s battalion had been in caught in the fiercest of the fighting, but with the help of the other Deer, they’d come out with minimal casualties and injuries and had driven their enemies back.  


Fighting constantly like this was getting harder and harder. As he trudges back toward the dormitory, Sylvain must force his legs to keep moving. _Left, right, left, right. Avoid the broken pieces of stone in your way, careful not to trip, and keep going._ His feet are like lead blocks and his eyes threaten to slip shut. Maybe sleeping outside in the grass wasn’t such a horrible idea. But no, the call of a warm blanket and the soft, welcoming solace of his bed is too appealing to ignore.  


Well, no, not his own bed. He has another bed in mind.  


Eventually, Sylvain reaches his goal. He knocks a familiar tattoo into the worn wood of Claude’s door. The sound is an instant balm that takes him back to when they had snuck around together during their time at Garreg Mach as students. In the five years since then, everything had changed. Most things are different now, themselves included, but some of the good things hadn’t changed at all.  


When Claude opens the door and pulls Sylvain into a tight hug, Sylvain is reminded of one of the very best things that had stayed the same.  


“Gods, Sylvain, I thought I had lost you,” Claude says with his face pressed into Sylvain’s shoulder, “When that pack of mages appeared out of nowhere, I thought…”  


He doesn’t finish his statement, just tightens his arms until Sylvain lets out a pained groan. “I’m fine, I’m fine, but keep squeezing me that tight and you’ll pop me in half.”  


Claude pulls back just enough to narrow his eyes suspiciously at Sylvain, “You know, not that I’m not happy to see you, but Manuela told me you were going to need a night in the infirmary. How’d you get out of that one?”  


“I told her that the only cure for my wounds was a kiss from a beautiful man, and she seemed to understand,” Sylvain grins and allows Claude to pull him inside the room. “Think you can make that happen?”  


“It would be my pleasure. But first, let’s get you off your feet.” The room is still clearly Claude’s even after all these years. Papers and battle strategies cover his desk, while books of all types litter the floor. Sylvain is grateful for Claude’s arm around his waist as he helps him toward the bed. Claude lowers him down onto the soft mattress and Sylvain sighs contentedly. And then, before he has time to prepare, Claude’s lips cut off his sigh. One of his hands gently cups Sylvain’s cheek while the other rests just above his knee. Sylvain’s eyes slip closed and he raises his arms up to wrap around Claude’s neck, holding him close.  


The terror and the pain of the day fades away in this moment. The ache of Sylvain’s body dulls as thoughts of Claude and only Claude fill his mind. Claude, who’s vision for the future gave Sylvain the hope he had always longed for. Claude, someone Sylvain would follow into the depths of Ailell and back again. Claude, the person who Sylvain had been unshakably in love with for years now. Claude, who is kissing him so fiercely right now, Sylvain has forgotten how to breathe.  


Eventually, Claude pulls away and Sylvain drops his arms to his sides in response. Claude’s hand lingers on Sylvain’s cheek, thumb running back and forth along his jawline. When Sylvain looks into his eyes, the naked affection and the relief he sees reflected back at himself is almost too much to take in. They had both almost died today. One wrong move or one wrong step and maybe Sylvain wouldn’t be here right now. Maybe he wouldn’t be here tomorrow. Only the goddess could know the outcome of this war, and Sylvain hoped every day that they would both see it. He knows Claude feels the same.  


Claude presses another kiss to the crown of Sylvain’s head, then stoops to help him pull off his boots. “So? Did that help?”  


Relieved of his footwear, Sylvain adjusts so he’s comfortably curled up in Claude’s bed. The soft cotton of the sheets and the warm, familiar smell that was quintessentially _Claude…_ There was only one thing still missing. Sylvain smiles and opens his arms wide. “It helped, sure. But a warm body and some loving might do me even better.”  


Claude snickers, but puts out his candles and crawls under the blankets next to Sylvain. “I think the physical loving part might be a little irresponsible with you in this condition, hm? The warm body, though, I can definitely provide.”  


After many, many nights spent just like this, Claude expertly finds the spot where he fits best against Sylvain’s body. His head rests on Sylvain’s chest, his arm is tossed casually across Sylvain’s ribs, and their legs tangle together. “I’m glad you made it back in one piece,” Claude whispers, his voice uncharacteristically small in this moment of weakness, “I don’t know what I would do without you.”  


Sylvain chuckles, “You would do just fine without me, Claude. I know you. Nothing is going to stop you from fulfilling that goal of yours.” He turns to rest his chin on top of Claude’s head, breathing in his lover’s scent. “But I promise I’m going to fight just as hard to be there next to you when you achieve that goal. So, I’ll keep fighting. For you. And for the future I want you to see.”  


There’s no response for a long time. And when Claude does reply, Sylvain is so close to sleep and Claude’s voice is so soft he isn’t quite sure if he dreamed the response or not.  


“I would like you be to next to me then, too. Both of us, together in a world we created. I think I would like to marry you one day, Sylvain. So don’t die on me before then.”  


With his lover’s words and the promise of forever echoing in his head, Sylvain falls asleep.


	3. Morning After

### 

Morning After

It’s hot even now in the early hours of the morning when Sylvain wakes. He’s long since thrown off the soft, silk sheets that he’d fallen asleep under but the warm body next to him is impossible to shake off. Not that he minds. In fact, Sylvain shifts to pull Khalid’s still slumbering form closer. Wrapped in Sylvain’s discarded sheets, he looks more like a cocoon than like a king. Sylvain smiles as Khalid mumbles something incoherent and snuggles into his new position laying on Sylvain’s chest. Instinctively, Sylvain’s hand raises to comb his fingers through Khalid’s soft hair like he’d done countless times before. However, there’s something new about this time. 

Now, there’s a shiny gold band on Sylvain’s finger that hadn’t been there before. In his sleep-addled state, Sylvain had forgotten it was there. When he catches sight of it, happiness blooms in his chest and spreads throughout his body to the tips of his toes. He's married. To someone he loves more than he could possibly say. 

It was official. Finally, finally, Khalid was _his_ and he was Khalid’s. The years they had spent working toward this day had been hard. So many things needed to be in order before they could even consider the idea of marriage. They had spent months apart while working on chartering peace in their own respective territories. Though their goals were separate, their heart’s desired the same thing. They wished to unite the world; to bring all different types of people together so they could recognize a bountiful future together. It's a dream that Khalid had shared with Sylvain during one of their many nights together, and one he quickly found he wanted to be a part of in any way he could. 

And, while there was still much to be done, the foundation had been laid. Work was being done on further agreements and programs to bring people closer together. It would take many hands, and many more years to realize the full extent of Khalid’s vision, but the world had been set firmly on the right path. 

The world had shifted in a profound way, all because of the man sleeping soundly rolled like a burrito in the sheets he’d stolen. Sylvain will always be in awe of him. Even as a small line of drool trails from Khalid’s mouth and onto Sylvain’s chest. 

Their marriage ceremony had been a stunning affair. People had come from all over Fodlan and beyond. Old friends and new friends, kings and queens, bakers and merchants alike had all made the long journey to Almyra. They brought with them gifts of things Sylvain had never seen before and had given him kind words he would carry with him to lean on in his hardest hours. It had been a happy day, full of laughter and community and love. And Khalid had been right next to him the whole time. Holding his hand. Kissing him. Fussing over his clothing (Sylvain was still getting used to traditional Almyran clothing, after all). They were no longer worried about who might see. In this united world, their love and this marriage was a symbol for the future they were walking toward. 

Of course, Sylvain was aware of all of that. He knew the complexities and the ramifications of a marriage like theirs. But he never gave it more thought than necessary. His heart had long since chosen Khalid. He would do whatever it took to keep him by his side for as long as possible. 

So Sylvain presses a soft kiss to Khalid’s temple and snuggles back down into their wedding bed as the sun begins to peek up over the horizon, knowing this is the first of many days where he gets to greet the morning with his lover held close.


End file.
